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Venizelos calls for ‘restraint’ and ‘compromise' in Ukrainian crisis

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos on Wednesday urged those involved in the current crisis in Ukraine to adopt restraint and dialogue. Violence escalated on Tuesday evening in Kiev as protesters clashed with police, with the death toll rising to 25 and the number of injured to 241.

“The international community is shocked at the uncontrolled escalation of violence in the center of Kiev in recent hours. We express our strong concern and state in the most categorical manner that violence is not a solution, but merely perpetuates the impasse,” noted Venizelos in a statement.

“We call on all those involved to show restraint, to desist from the use of violence, and to return to the table of dialogue. In these critical hours, the Ukrainian people need to bear in mind that the achievement of a compromise solution is the only way ahead, and that what unites them is much greater than what divides them.”

While Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich blamed opposition leaders for the crisis, protesters on Wednesday prepared for a new round of confrontation with police forces on Kiev’s central Independence Square.

Protests began last November when President Yanukovich rejected a trade deal with the European Union opting for closer ties with Russia.